Malala delivered her message to the grief-stricken parents of the kidnapped schoolgirls, whom she visited with Sunday to pledge her support. Malala became an international icon of courageous resistance to antiwoman terrorism in 2012, when she was shot in the head in a failed assassination attempt by the Pakistani Taliban. For years, she'd been anonymously blogging for the BBC about her experiences trying to achieve an education amid threats posed by the Taliban. In other words, on the topic of being targeted by religious extremists thanks to a passion to learn, she knows what she's talking about.

I can see those girls as my sisters ... and I'm going to speak up for them until they are released. I'm going to participate actively in the 'Bring back our girls' campaign, to make sure that they return safely and they continue their education. I can feel ... the circumstances under which you are suffering. It's quite difficult for a parent to know that their daughter is in great danger. My birthday wish this year is ... bring back our girls now, and alive.

Malala isn't the first high-profile woman to get behind the movement — Michelle Obama pledged her support in a very public way back in May. She tweeted a picture of herself holding up a piece of paper, simply reading "#BringBackOurGirls."

Boko Haram has given no indication that they plan to cede to this pressure, however, which isn't unexpected — if you loathe the thought of girls being educated so much that you'll kidnap hundreds of them, hashtags, activists, and modest military support aren't likely to sway you. In a video released Sunday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau openly mocked the campaign.